Remembrance
by MysticMonarch
Summary: He was amazing. And, in every aspect but the physical one, he was mine. Which is why I wept. For everything that we'd had, and for everything that we couldn't have. I cried myself to sleep, because I couldn't bear to face today and all that it meant. How it meant everything that couldn't be. Yuugi Motou has lost his one true love, ... or did he?PUZZLESHIPPING /YAOI
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to the start of my puzzleshipping fanfiction, Remembrance! Any kind of review, feedback, or just following the story would be greatly appreciated! This should be updated bi-weekly, (but depending upon fanbase, I may give a few chapters early) and there should be either six or seven chapters. (the entire thing is already written out.) Only the first chapter is typed though, so bear with me!

~~~~~~Chapter 1~~~~~~

Yuugi's POV  
Tears were rushing down my face like a waterfall. I couldn't bring myself to stop crying, couldn't force myself to pull it together. I loved him.  
A year ago today, the Pharaoh left. He walked through that door, into his past, and away from me.  
I wanted to, I wanted so badly, with every fiber of my being, to go with him. The fabric of time and space couldn't handle it, though. I'd be a spirit, like he was previously. He'd told me stories, and I didn't think I could handle it. Didn't think I could handle feeling so… disconnected.  
I almost laughed bitterly at how much I was lying to myself. Lying through my teeth. I could've handled being a spirit. What I can't handle? Him being gone.  
I can remember it like it was yesterday, all the time we spent together. All the love and hope we shared.  
"I love you." I'd say, looking up into his half-there eyes. He'd turn to me with a dazzling smile and try to hug me, even though I couldn't feel it unless I was knocking on Death's door.  
The few times he had held me in his arms, when I could actually feel his touch and the presence of his body, those were the best moments of my life. No matter the pain or suffering, he was there. My love, my partner, my world. How, oh, how I wish that, when we were actually able, he'd have thought to kiss me.  
"I love you, too." He'd whisper back, and sometimes, if I was lucky, he'd lean down and 'kiss' me. I couldn't really feel it, just like when he wrapped his arms around me (which had grown to be an every night occurrence) but the intent still caused butterflies to rise in my stomach.  
I have nightmares now, almost nightly. I'd had the problem since I was a child, really, and only one thing made them go away. He did. When he wrapped his arms around me, I was calm and secure enough to sleep through the night. Even if I couldn't feel it, the security he offered was enough to get me through.  
More than anything in the world, I missed him.  
I thought that when he left, I may have received some peace. He was the other half of my soul, I figured I might at least finally feel 'complete' on some level. Instead, it felt like the other half of my soul had been torn away. Ripped violently from my grasp. He seemed so far away from me.  
Separated by thousands of years.  
Did he even miss me? What if he didn't remember me at all? Then, the question that bothers me the most; was he happy?  
In a way, as much as he should remember me, I hope that he doesn't. Because, in some way, I want him to be happy. Even if that means forgetting me, even if he, (as unthinkable as it was) fell in love with another. I needed him to be happy. If I just knew that he was, maybe I'd have a little peace.  
I cried harder, remembering all the times that we shared. I remember the deep conversations we'd have, him telling me stories. He always told the best stories.  
While he didn't have a lot of his memories, things that he never failed to remember were ancient Egyptian Legends and Mythology. He told the tales of old so well, and they had the details that had slipped through the sands of time. He made it seem like those things had actually happened. He'd believed them, and his belief always made it seem so magical. I loved hearing him tell stories.  
When he got his memories back, though, those were the best stories. He'd tell of things he'd seen, the beauty of ancient Egypt. It always seemed so great. And with him as my Pharaoh? I would've lived there any day.  
It wasn't even necessarily the plot line, (though it was always excellent and promised intrigue) it was really the sound of his voice. It was smooth and deep, almost like a lullaby. The few times he actually sang, it stole my very heart. He was amazing. And, in every aspect but the physical one, he was mine.  
Which is why I wept. For everything that we'd had, and for everything that we couldn't have.  
I cried myself to sleep, because I couldn't bear to face today and all that it meant.  
How it meant everything that couldn't be.

_  
Yami's POV  
When I woke, I was in the middle of a field. Somewhere, I really didn't know. I scanned my memory for anything; how I got there, where I was. Nothing. What scared me the most, though, is that I couldn't remember who I was.  
I tried for memories of childhood, accomplishments I'd made, younger siblings. Nothing came up. I was confused, cold, and to be honest, I was tired. Even if I did just wake up.  
I sat up slowly, reaching a hand up to rub at my neck. It felt like I'd been trampled by a thousand bulls, but I forced myself to stand slowly. Looking over at my surroundings, I noticed a herd of bulls and a farmer.  
The farmer saw me and stared in awe, running over to aid in my awakening. He mumbled something in a completely foreign language, and I had no choice but to respond in my own.  
"Do you speak Japanese?" I asked. The farmer shook his head as if to clear it. He asked another question in his own language, and I was helpless to translate.  
His daughter came out happily, skipping along. She froze as soon as she saw me, her eyes widening like saucers. She turned to her father and mumbled something and he responded, turning back and eying me warily.  
The girl ran back into the house, and the farmer started to follow her, gesturing for me to follow. At least hand gestures are the same in every language.  
I followed them into the house and watched as he picked up a telephone, talking to someone furiously on the other end. After a few minutes of blathering, he hung up the phone and went over to the computer. Attempting to do whatever it was he was trying to do, he moved aside so I could see the screen. I couldn't understand the language, though I did recognize the format.  
He typed something out, choosing two from a long list of languages before pressing the small button that I could only assume read, 'translate'.  
'I called the police. They should get you home. Who you are?' The screen displayed. I inwardly cringed at the poor quality of the translator, but I didn't comment. I took over the computer for a moment, fiddling with the settings before trying to remember how to type in roomaji. It was difficult, but eventually I managed to scrape up an entire sentence.  
'I don't remember.' I typed, then pressed the translate button. He looked at it a moment before his features became curious, and I knew he was wondering about me just as much as I was. He shook his head and typed something else.  
'Okay. They'll take care of you. I explained all things to the police. They have translation.' It said. I shook my head yes in understanding, turning. I didn't want to spend any more time typing out what I was planning on saying, and the police would be there soon anyways. I just hoped they didn't have an English to Japanese dictionary as means of translation.  
Their little girl pulled out a chair for me and patted the cushion. I sat down and muttered my thanks, hiding my smile. I hoped she understood; it was a fairly popular saying to know, thanks to Stix.  
She smiled broadly at me, seeming to understand. She turned to her mother and they had a small exchange, before she turned and looked at me again with that smile.  
"Konichiwa!" She exclaimed happily. It was still technically morning, (and that's the daytime greeting,) but the intent was still there.  
"Konichiwa." I returned, nodding my head respectfully. She giggled in happiness and turned to her mother for a few more minutes, a spark in her eyes. Eventually, she became discouraged with the conversation and slumped down in her seat, pouting. Apparently, her and her mother had run out of Japanese to use.  
About thirty minutes of awkward silence later, a police cruiser rolled up the driveway, containing two people. One was a thin but well-built woman wearing a suit jacket and carrying a brief case. She looked incredibly professional and extremely intelligent. The other was a man in an officer's uniform, and he looked like he needed to lay off the fast food that he clearly enjoyed so much.  
The woman entered the home with purpose, looking around until her eyes fell upon me, sitting alone at the table. After the girl had given up on conversation, she'd began to help her mother cook, leaving me alone.  
"You're going to come with us. You'll be in good hands. We've contacted the general Japanese public news stations, and even if you can't remember, we'll help you find your family. We'll get everything taken care of." The woman said smoothly in fluent Japanese, gesturing for me to come along. She turned and walked back out to the beaten up cruiser, taking out a clip board and balancing it on her hip purposefully. As she let me into the car, she stated, "News flies fast in Nashville Tennessee."  
I climbed into the back, dumbfounded. I was in… Tennessee? Well, that was certainly a long way from my home. I wondered how I got there of all places, but decided quickly not to dwell on it.  
When I arrived at the hospital, (since that's apparently where they were taking me) I was absolutely bombarded with questions by anyone and everyone. Who was I? I couldn't answer that. What part of Japan was I from? Again, I was clueless on how to respond. They began to run a series of tedious tests regarding my brain and mental health, since apparently they thought something was wrong up there. Nothing came back positive, not even trauma.  
Finally, around three o'clock, they took my picture for the Japanese news, to help me find a relative or friend who was willing to come and help me. The woman behind the camera was a tireless flirt and had taken Japanese in high school, so there was no way for me to ignore it, even though she could barely get out two words before pausing. By the end of that, I was thoroughly convinced that the crazy woman just wanted my picture, but I thought it best not to say. Even if my translator wasn't around and she wouldn't catch any of it on her own.  
All in all, at the end of the day, I was as tired as I could possibly be. I lay down on the lumpy, uncomfortable bed and tried to focus on anything but the hectic day I'd had. I sighed, wishing desperately that I could remember something, anything! After a little while, I gave up and stared at the ceiling, letting my mind wander until sleep overtook me.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank everyone SO much for the amazing amount of response I got to this story! I'm going to warn you now that the next chapter might be a little short. Nothing too bad, and this chapter's a little long, so it should balance out ^_^ but anyways, yeah. Total thanks and gratification!

ON WITH THE PUZZLESHIPPING!

* * *

Yuugi's POV  
_I was being ravaged, torn in half by a pack of hungry wolves. Wolves or wild dogs. I couldn't see through the haze of the pain to tell anything specific._  
_"YAMI!" I screamed, trying desperately to reach him. He'd help me, he'd save me, he'd be there for me and hold me in his arms, whisper everything's alright. Maybe, if I was lucky, I was close enough to death to finally get that kiss._  
_Then, the most terrifying thing yet happened._  
_The pack leader began to speak to me._  
_"He'll never get here. He left you, you little maggot! Now you'll die, cold and alone. Not that you would've expected it any other way." He snarled, and then his choked laughter rang in my ears. I felt terror welling up inside of me, so much it choked out my very breath. "Hell, he never even loved you!"_  
_"You lie!" I shouted, clinging fast to the only truth I knew. That no matter what anyone said, he did love me, and if he could remember me, he still did._  
_"Then why did he leave?" The wolf snarled, crouching down. I began to cry then terrible sobs. It wasn't his choice to leave. The leader laughed and laughed, and he lunged, tearing into the flesh of my face._  
I sat up in bed with a sharp gasp, realizing immediately that my shoulders were being shaken. I looked up to see Joey's face staring down apprehensively into mine. He looked panicked, surprised, and shaken. He looked… almost like he'd seen a ghost.  
"There's something you'll want to see." He said excitedly, practically dragging me out of the bed by my right arm. I didn't bother to put on my shirt, and he flinched when he saw how skinny I'd become.  
After the Pharaoh left, I'd almost completely stopped eating. I couldn't bear it. The joy had been snuffed out of my life, I had absolutely no reason to be hungry. The only reason I was still alive was because of my grandfather all but forcing food down my throat constantly, saving his go-to line for when I got really, truly bad. _The Pharaoh did love you, Yuugi. He wouldn't have wanted this for you._  
I walked out to the living room to find that the entire gang was sprawled out in front of the television, staring at the screen like the apocalypse had just begun.  
I sighed, flopping down on the couch. Everyone moved so that I could see the television perfectly. Wonderful, it was show and tell time.  
My grandpa pressed the un-pause button, and I watched with vague disinterest.  
"Breaking news, a man shows up in Tennessee speaking fluent Japanese. He can't remember who he is or even where he came from. If you know this man-" She stated, and I completely stopped paying attention to her words. Instead, I was focused on the gorgeous face that had flashed up alongside her. There was absolutely no way. It was impossible, it couldn't possibly be…  
"Pharaoh?" I whispered, barely able to actually speak. I stared brokenly at the screen. My other half, my lover, my everything. He was there. He was alive. In America. Just a plane ride away.  
We could kiss for the first time.  
I stood, and then promptly dropped to my knees in front of the screen. I was staring at the television with a mixture of hope, disbelief, joy, and uncertainty. All different emotions, which seemed to be tugging me in very different directions.  
"Yuugi?" My grandfather asked gently, putting a hand on my shoulder.  
"He's really… here?" I whispered, scared that if I spoke too loud I'd wake up from this obvious, delicious dream I was having. Even though I knew it would crush me later, I couldn't have a dream this sweet being ruined.  
"Yes. I know you're shocked, but you need to go and pack your bags now. Kaiba said he'd be here in half an hour to pick us up-" He started, but the rest was white noise to my ears. I ran to my bedroom and threw open the door, going straight to my drawers and beginning to eagerly shove things into my suitcase. I was shaking with pure adrenaline, excitement and anticipation washing over me in waves. I didn't think, just shoved in anything that I could.  
I paid attention to what I was doing long enough to shove in a couple clean pair of underwear and my leather outfit; the one that the Pharaoh had once commented that it looked especially good, if not a little bit sexy on me.  
As a last minute thought, I grabbed my poetry book and the millennium puzzle and shoved both into my bag eagerly, zipping it up quickly.  
I was shaking so hard, from a mixture of fear, exhilaration, everything. He meant, still means, everything to me, and I thought he was gone forever. This wide awake nightmare, this hell I'd been living in, would finally be over.  
If this was a dream, I never wanted it to end. I could pass away in my sleep, would almost rather it at this point, if I had to wake up from something so very beautiful. This alternating reality was so close to perfection. I wouldn't even have to die in my sleep, even. I wouldn't have the heart to go on at this point.  
I took my bag, no almost overflowing, into the kitchen and set it down to wait. I couldn't deal with the crowd out in my living room; even if they were my friends, I needed to organize my own thoughts.  
Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, Kaiba pulled up in a small car. It probably was nothing compared to the limousines he was used to, but it's not like he was bringing the car with us to America, so I figured he could handle it.  
I shoved my bags in without a second glance and practically threw myself into the back seat, my desperation showing much more clearly than it had been intended to. Everyone seemed to be moving around me in slow motion, and I was itching to go. I needed to see him, needed to prove to myself that he was really real. I needed to see his face, I needed desperately to feel his arms around me.  
We drove to the airport in stony silence, me twiddling my thumbs, bouncing my leg, twitching a little, or basically doing anything and everything to get out my nervous energy. I had so much tension it was unreal, and I had nearly no way to outlet it all.  
Once we got on the plane, my Grandpa was trying to get me to calm down, sit down, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't force myself to. I was pacing like mad and couldn't stop myself. If I fell asleep, I might find out that this was the dream, and I couldn't put myself through that. Not when I was mere hours away from everything I'd longed for the last year of my life. Everything I'd been wishing and hoping for. My Yami.  
So I paced. I paced for hours straight, not being able to sit down. Grandpa offered me food, but I turned up my nose and kept pacing. There was no way I could focus on eating right then.  
I sat down eventually, with only two hours of the flight left to go. I didn't sleep, though. That would have been impossible. I sat and stared at the window, not really paying attention to what was on the outside right then. I was in my own little world. I didn't want to have to think about something else.  
I needed to think about him, about what it would feel like when we touched. About what I was going to say when I saw him again and looked up into those gorgeous, slightly crimson eyes.  
What did you say to the love of your life when you had been separated for a year? Were there even words to be spoken, or just gentle caresses accompanied by a warm embrace and (hopefully) a warm kiss? What would I do when I saw him again?  
It felt like a million year since I'd last seen him.  
Finally, we climbed in a large car that Kaiba had picked out himself, (It was a jeep and was absolutely massive, I had to practically catapult myself up) and began the hour long drive to the hospital.  
I was absolutely frozen the whole way, looking out the window idly. I found that I couldn't actually think, couldn't concentrate on anything but the look on his face in that picture. A smile that was warm and dashing, and melted my heart.  
It'd been so long, years even, since we'd left the house. We pulled up to the hospital so slowly, and I felt like I was going to explode from frustration. I climbed out and waited impatiently for Kaiba and my Grandfather to follow.  
I briskly lead the way into the hospital, resisting the strong urge to run straight through the doors. I walked up to the attended, having never been more thankful in all of my life for the annoyance that was my English classes.  
"The man who doesn't remember who he is, we're here for him." I said flatly. She didn't argue at all, instead rising from her seat behind the desk and waving for me to follow. I figured she assumed we were brothers or something, since we looked so alike.  
"Oh, he's just a doll! Thanks to that translator, we've had a few conversations and he's real interestin'!" She exclaimed in a cute southern accent. Apparently, she'd been talking some to him.  
She paused after tapping the correct door, walking away briskly. She probably assumed from the look on my face that I wanted to have some privacy, and three wasn't exactly very private.  
Then it hit me hard, like a punch in the stomach.  
What if he didn't remember me?  
I shook the idea off. It seemed so impossible. Of course he'd remember me, with all we'd been through together. I was his love.  
I took a long, shaky breath of anticipation as I placed my hand on the door. It creaked as it opened, and I peaked my head around the side.  
My heart busted with joy. He was there. He was really, truly here. My love, my other half, my everything, was... there. I felt like my knees were jell-o when he glimpsed me from over the cover of a book.  
I slowly and tentatively walked inside, seeing his eyes follow me all the way to the end of the bed. I kept eye contact with him the entire way, feeling my heart melt.  
"Pharaoh?" I whispered brokenly,looking up at him hopefully. My heart swelled and I felt like I was going to collapse from how badly I wanted him to run and hold me in his arms, kiss away the pain I felt from losing him.  
"Do I know you?" He asked, looking confused.  
My heart shattered. Of course it would be my luck. How could fate be so cruel , so... heartless as to give him back, only to take away everything we previously had? I wanted to cry. I wanted to weep and yell and scream, even though I knew that there was nobody to blame, I wanted to blame someone for what had happened. I took a shaky breath instead, trying to concentrate on the positive. I can deal with him not loving me, as long as he was here.  
"You could say that." I said flatly, fighting back the tears. I walked up close to him. He sat up and looked at me curiously, just like he used to when I'd tell him something, and I felt my heart melt again. I'd never stopped loving him, even when I thought him to be dead.  
"Were we related?" He asked, and I sighed. This was most likely going to be a very long day for me, and I had a feeling that it wouldn't get any easier. But he was here now, and I could see him, I might be able to touch him if I worked up the courage, maybe a hug. That would make it worth all of this, worth the pain of him not loving me, just a hug...  
"Not exactly." I replied with a smile, walking up even closer. I reached out tentatively to place a hand on his shoulder, feeling his warmth through his clothes. I'd waited so long to touch him... He was there, he was finally tangible.  
The Pharaoh looked slightly confused, but but didn't shy away from my touch.  
"We look so alike." He said, his voice filling with wonder. I looked up into his eyes and smiled. Yes, we looked alike, but there were differences that really turned us into individuals.  
"Not as much as you might think." I said, smiling a little more. Even if he didn't remember me, he was still my Pharaoh. He still meant so much to me, I still loved him.  
"How can we look so alike and not be related?" He asked, sounding genuinely curious. I rolled my eyes a little, transferring my weight to my hip.  
"It's a long story, and your situation itself is probably a lot to handle." I said, flinching. I realized then that I had a monumental decision to make, and what I decided could very well influence our future together, whether or not he accepted me as a friend again.  
Should I tell him that we'd been together? How would he take it? Would he even believe me when I said it, or reject my words with disgust?  
Would he be able to love me back?


	3. Chapter 3

Here you go Lovelies, another chapter in this saga! This might end up going into as much as eight chapters, yay! And, as much as I wanted to wait to release this information, I feel like now is the time.

There's going to be a sequel!

I don't know what Im going to call it yet, and it'll be a couple months after this one's over before it comes out. It'll be about the same length, maybe a little shorter.

It's thanks to you guys and all the support I got on this story that I was able t do this. THANK YOU!

Sorry this chapter is a little short.

I don't own YuGiOh!

* * *

Yami's POV  
I was very wary of this person, the one who looked so much like myself.  
When he pointed out that we weren't the same, it beckoned me to look closer. I started to examine his face and body, finding to my astonishment that he was absolutely right. We really weren't identical.  
He was much more beautiful.  
I found that I'd had this thought odd. I hadn't thought that anyone was remotely as attractive as I found this boy to be, not even the beautiful country bell nurse. Not that I really had a thing for women, but still.  
His eyes were large and innocent, his face pouty and cute. You could tell that if he put on some weight, he'd have an adorable baby face. I wondered briefly why he was so skinny, but decided not to mention it in case he took it as in insult.  
Just then, the door busted open and a tall man with a long coat came in, trotting briskly through the room as if he owned the place.  
"Hope I wasn't interrupting anything, but the Pharaoh can leave with us now." He said, flashing an arrogant smirk our way.  
Mini-me blushed and then glared darkly at him.  
"Of course not, Kaiba." He said firmly, pouting a bit. I wondered briefly what he could possibly be interrupting in the first place, but again decided it was best to just figure things out later.  
"So your name's Kaiba?" I asked to break the tension, and he turned to me with surprise evident on his features.  
"So you really don't remember anything?" He asked, his eyes widening slightly. He shared a glance with mini-me, and I caught a flash of pain in mini-me's eyes. I have to admit that it broke my heart a little.  
"No, no I don't." I said, shaking my head. I turned to mini-me and asked, "Didn't they tell you that?"  
"I just would've assumed you'd remember Yuugi." Kaiba said.  
"Is that mini-me's name?" I asked, feeling intrigue well up in me. Yuugi. It was certainly a nice name, and almost felt like it rang a bell for me...  
"Mini-me?" Yuugi asked flatly, and I could see that Kaiba was restraining his laughter.  
"Ummm... sorry." I said, blushing a little bit. "You're Yuugi then." It was more of a statement than a question this time around.  
Kaiba walked over and grabbed my arm, practically dragging me out of bed. He seemed incredibly impatient, and quite frankly I wondered why I was ever friends with him. Maybe we were related.  
I climbed out of bed, grateful that they'd let me change back into my regular clothes this morning. I then proceeded to be force-ably dragged to the parking lot, Yuugi following close behind me. Something told me that mini-me tended to follow me a lot, or at the very least that we'd spent a lot of time together. He seemed to want to get closer, but looked almost like he was afraid of something.  
I wanted to tell him that I wouldn't disappear if he wanted to hug me, but I knew somehow that it would embarass him. If we used to be close, (Or at least as close as I'd presumed that we would have been judging by his current behavior) I'd have been the one doing the hugging. I had a feeling that that wouldn't change.  
I climbed into the car, having a bit of trouble from the sheer size of the thing. I noticed that Kaiba and another, much older man, (one I had yet to meet) were both sitting in the front two seats with the older man driving. Looks like I'd be sitting next to mini-me.  
I watched as mini-me struggled even more than me to climb into the tall car, trying not to laugh. He was certainly determined to get up, though, because soon he was seated right beside me.  
The jeep, while being high up off the ground, had a very small amount of wiggle room. Yuugi, who looked nervous and pitifully sad about something, was incredibly close to me.  
"So, who's this?" I asked, gesturing to the older man in the driver's seat. The old man flinched and looked back at Yuugi, who answered his silent question with a shaky breath and a nod of his head. I flinched on the inside. I must've meant a lot to him and he a lot to me, because everyone seemed to assume that upon seeing him I'd magically remember everything I'd forgotten.  
And while I'll admit that he rang more of a bell than the rest of him, I still couldn't bring myself to remember.  
"I'm Yuugi's grandpa. No relation to you, but we lived in the same house." He said, still looking at Yuugi. I could tell that he was worried about something.  
"Kaiba, why did you assume that Yuugi would cause me to remember everything?" I asked, feeling Yuugi freeze beside me. Kaiba started to speak, but he interrupted quickly.  
"We were pretty close. We, uh, we shared a room and everything." He said, biting his lip. Kaiba looked back at him skeptically, but quickly turned back to look at the road. I had a feeling they were keeping something from me.  
"So we were like brothers?" I asked him eagerly. Glancing back towards Kaiba, I found that he was now smirking.  
"Yeah, you could say that." Yuugi said, turning towards me. Our eyes met and he didn't look away. That was typically considered rude, but somehow it just felt right looking into his lavender eyes.  
He scooted a little closer and our legs brushed together. He looked at me warily, as if he was afraid that at any moment I would disappear into thin air. I smiled at him reassuringly, but then turned away reluctantly. It must have been hard on him, losing someone who was like a brother to you. I completely understood him wanting me to stay close.  
A few minutes later, though, I felt him move away. I was tempted to try and move closer to him, but decided against it. If he needed his space, I didn't want to intrude.  
Although I might not remember him, I felt... almost a connection with him. Maybe, even though I didn't remember the emotions were so deeply implanted that they would stick around. I didn't want to mention my theory for fear of getting his hopes up, but it was plausible. Only, that didn't quite make sense. If I felt something despite my memory loss for him, why wouldn't I feel something for his grandpa or Kaiba?  
They said that we were close, but 'close' obviously wasn't a word that was strong enough.

* * *

Yuugi's POV  
I'd scooted away from the Pharaoh, looked out the window at the sun setting behind the smoky mountains.  
I couldn't stay so close; I felt like I was going to scare him off.  
I dreaded having to explain everything to him. Not necessarily just our relationship, (which I wasn't planning on ever mentioning for fear of rejection) but everything with the puzzle, ancient Egypt, and duel monsters.  
Telling him how much it'd hurt when he left.  
We sat in silence, occasionally touching lightly. Whenever we did, I swear my heart stopped beating in my chest. I had to keep my cool, though. Or at least what little was left of it at that point.  
Eventually, we arrived at a small cabin and I wondered if there would be enough rooms. That fear was assuaged as soon as I set foot inside, though.  
There were several more floors that you couldn't see from the outside, which made the cabin appear small, when really it was extravagant.  
There were six bedrooms, which meant that each of us got our own and there were still a couple left over.  
I was numb as I was lead slowly to my room on the bottom floor.  
What did it matter? What did anything matter anymore? My Pharaoh didn't remember me, so what was life worth?  
I walked into my bedroom, noting dryly that Yami's room was across from mine.  
Wonderful.  
I threw down my bags and changed my pajama pants quickly, leaving my shirt off. I used to always sleep with my shirt on, until the Pharaoh started coming out of the Millennium puzzle to sleep with me. Yami always insisted that sleeping with a shirt on bugged him to death, and if he couldn't touch me anyways, seeing couldn't really hurt anything. So I (brushing bright scarlet) slipped off my shirt and watched his disappear with it. It was slightly inconvenient that we had to wear the same clothes, but whatever.  
As much as I didn't want to admit it, I did quite a lot of staring that night. He smirked whenever he caught me looking, but I caught him admiring me a few times that night, too.  
I sat on my bed that night with my knees pulled up. There was no way I'd be sleeping that night with my insomnia. Not when everyone and everything I'd hoped for couldn't remember my name.  
I waited patiently, letting two hole hours pass before I got up and tiptoed upstairs, trying to be quiet.  
I opened the door to the top floor outside deck, and walked out to sit on the small bench that adorned it. I looked up at the beautiful stars.  
They were so much brighter than they were in Japan.


	4. Chapter 4

This is a scene I have been excited for. I really think you'll all like this chapter a whole bunch! ^_^ Thank you so much for sticking with this story! You guys rock! And a special thanks to everyone who reviewed, you all made me super special happy! And so, here you go, this is a super-long chapter for you all!

* * *

Yami's POV  
_Yuugi was sitting beside me, and he turned to me with his wide lavender eyes filled with tears._  
_My heart shattered into millions of pieces, each one longing to erase the pain that he felt. _  
_Why did I feel this way already about someone I had barely met? How could this boy hold such dominion over me already?_  
_"Pharaoh, Yami, Love," He pleaded, a tear welling up and then slowly making its way along his delicate face, before slipping off and landing on the top of my hands. It seemed like the world was working in slow motion. "You have to remember me, you have to remember us! He finished desperately._  
_"What do you mean?" I asked. Yuugi shook his head back and forth slowly, and suddenly his eyes filled with fear as we stood in complete silence._  
_His tears were now ones of panic and dread as he put his hands on my shoulders, but I couldn't feel them._  
_Why couldn't I feel them?_  
_"Pharaoh, please, don't leave me to my demons! You have to remember me!" He shouted, shaking my shoulders._  
I woke up in a cold sweat, clutching my blankets to my chest and breathing heavily. I didn't know what had come upon me.  
Air, I needed air.  
Having a sudden and unexplainable desire to see the stars, I decided to go out on the deck, not bothering to put on a shirt. Who would be out there, it was like two o'clock in the morning.  
I wasn't exactly expecting to see Yuugi sitting on the bench.  
I walked out onto the porch and sighed, taking in the glorious wonders of a Tennessee night, taking a couple steps forward before I realized.  
I wasn't alone.  
I saw the top of his star-shaped hair poking up from the top of the bench. Deciding that now was as good a time as ever, I walked forward and around the wooden bench, looking at the beautiful boy.  
He wasn't wearing a shirt either, which I thought was odd. I hadn't expected sleeping shirtless to be one of his habits based upon his personality.  
I spent a moment admiring the way he gazed thoughtfully up at the stars before I decided to speak.  
"Fancy seeing you here." I said flatly, and he jumped at the sound of my voice.  
"What are you doing up? He asked me, blushing and crossing his arms in attempt to cover up his stomach and chest. I didn't know why he was being so darn modest; he really was quite beautiful. I mean, as long as you could ignore the fact that he was probably severely underweight. I mean really, the boy needed a freaking snickers bar.  
"I could ask you the same question." I said, sitting down on the other side of the small bench, causing it to sway a bit. It was a swinging bench, so it wasn't very steady. Something about my dream had made me want to get to know him better, and this was as good a time as ever to start.  
"I just couldn't sleep." He answered, looking at me warily. I truly hated how he looked at me like at any moment I'd disappear if he said or did the wrong thing. I obviously wasn't going anywhere.  
"Bad dream." I replied chilantly. He flinched, so I could only assume that he had experience with the subject.  
"I know how you feel." He said gently, looking down. He looked a little sad and broken. For some reason, it sent a pang through my chest to see him like that. It suddenly occurred to me that I should say something and change the subject.  
"We must have been close." I said. Yuugi looked back at me, and his eyes held the faintest trace of hope glistening within them.  
"Yeah, yeah we were." He said with a small smile, and then turned towards the stars again.  
"Did we ever hug?" I asked, wondering why he felt the urge to remain so physically distant. Maybe we weren't usually very affectionate?  
"Twice that I can remember. Both times though, I was about to die. Quite literally, I was on the edge of death." He said, taking a shaky breath. "We would have a lot more than that, but we actually couldn't. It's a long story." He said with a sigh.  
I blinked in shock a couple of times, trying to contain the fear I felt rise in the pit of my stomach. He'd almost... died?  
"So, you're not going to explain to me why we couldn't?" I asked, choosing to focas on that.  
"I might eventually, but you wouldn't believe me if I did now." Yuugi said, flashing me a small smile. I wanted to argue and get him to tell me, but I figured that I shouldn't get off on the wrong foot.  
"So, is there something stopping us now?" I asked.  
"No." He said simply, looking over at me from the corner of his eye hopefully. I knew that he probably wanted me to hug him, and I knew that if I did it would make him happy... I so desperately wanted him to be happy. I didn't know why, but I couldn't let that matter to me right then, as long as it happened.  
"So, can we, uh... hug? Would you mind?" I asked. Yuugi turned away to hide his obvious blush, but I could still see the tips of his ears turn red anyways. He shook his head yes enthusiastically and I scooted closer to him on the small bench, wrapping my arms around his waist and bringing him close. His back was up against my chest, and it was a nice, warm distraction from the chill of the night.  
It seemed like I was so much more sensitive to him than I was to anyone else, almost like we were meant to do this.  
There was a comfortable silence as we gazed up at the stars, our bodies touching lightly.  
"You know, the stars were gone for a time, once." I said, recalling an ancient Egyptian tale. Odd that I remembered that.  
To my surprise, Yuugi nodded his head.  
"You used to tell me that story all the time. But... will you tell it again? It's been awhile." Yuugi said with a smile, snuggling into me a little bit. I couldn't help but melt, and he made it worse when he looked up at me with wide eyes. I took a breath and began my story.  
"Set had always been incredibly envious of Osiris, who was granted from a young age the much wanted throne of Egypt. He was a fair ruler and was always good to the people, but one day Set's envious desires grew too powerful. He lured the misguided Osiris out the river, where he then proceeded to drown him. Once he was out of the picture, Set claimed the throne for his own selfish desires.  
"Now, Osirius was brought back to life by the wife of set herself, who pities her sister's grief over her husband/ brother's death. He was alive just long enough for himself and his wife to conceive a child.  
"The son that was born was convinced that it was his rightful place as son of Osiris to claim the throne of Egypt. This resulted in him challenging Set to many games and he lost most of them thanks to Set's nasty habit of cheating.  
"Once, Horus (For that was the name of Osiris's son) grew incredibly angry at his mother, for she had caught Set cheating and had mercy on him. He'd completely blown up on her. The other gods witnessed this and were somewhat wary of him because of it. Therefore, none of them would back him up.  
"Eventually, the gods sent a letter to Osiris (he was able to receive it in death because he had by then established his place as the ruler of the underworld) asking who the throne belonged to. He responded that it was rightfully his son's.  
"The gods still wouldn't fully support Horus, so Osiris had to prove the throne should be his. The stars were loyal to Osiris, so they disappeared from the night sky and flocked to his domain.  
"They had no choice other than to pass the throne of Egypt on to Horus, and the stars returned." I finished, sighing. I looked down in time to see Yuugi yawning and relaxing against me.  
"That story has always been my favorite." He said happily. I sighed and relaxed too, happy that he was.  
A few more minutes passed in silence before I decided that I couldn't keep him in my arms any longer, and let him go, standing up. He looked slightly disappointed, but he said nothing as I entered the cabin to get some sleep.  
I was just praying that I wouldn't have that dream again.

* * *

Yuugi's POV  
I watched sadly as he walked away, though to be honest I was happier than I'd been in awhile.  
He'd held me tight in his arms while he wove the tales of old, his soothing voice deep and strong in my ears. I'd dreamed about being able to feel him hug me again for so, so long, and it had finally happened.  
It was easily the most glorious moment of my entire life.  
I leaned back on the bench, looking back to the stars and thinking of him. As long as the two of us could still have moments like that, I'd be fine with him not remembering. As long as I could still have a part of him, I could survive this beautiful nightmare. He was still my Pharaoh.  
I stared up at the stars for a long time, waiting until they started to burn out before going back inside. I'd make it look like I slept all night, so my grandpa wouldn't get too concerned.  
I tiptoed downstairs and opened my poetry book, ready for my first happy poem in quite some time.  
When I was finally done, I headed up the stairs to find that Yami was already there. I guessed we were on the same schedule.  
"Good morning." I said, yawning loudly to appear groggy. I had to make it appear as if I'd just woken up.  
"Good morning, mini-me." He greeted happily. I wasn't fond of the new nickname, but decided that it wasn't really a big deal. The little things tended not to bother you when the love of your life had been ripped from you and then graciously given back. You were so grateful just to have them back that it gave you a certain amount of tolerance.  
I sat down at the table and fiddled with the plant sitting on its surface.  
"Do you eat breakfast?" He asked.  
"Not typically. Why?" I responded, fidgeting. What if he chewed me out for not eating, like everyone else seemed to always do? That would be incredibly annoying, and I didn't think I'd be able to keep from getting emotional if he was disappointed in me.  
"Because you're skinny. Would you eat something if I made it for you?" Yami offered, taking some eggs out of a large fridge. Of course Kaiba would think to have the place stocked with food. That wasn't what I was focusing on, though. He was offering to make me breakfast! That made me so happy that I almost forgot to be insulted that he'd called me skinny.  
"Yeah, actually." I said, surprising myself. Yami smiled at my response and then began to crack the eggs one by one into a large bowl and began to whisk a whisk around, sufficiently mixing the whites with the yellows.  
There was no talk as he worked his magic, but only the delicious smell of his cooking that seemed to overpower my senses.  
I smelled so many different kinds of spices, the scents were glorious. I could tell straight away that he was an amazing cook. I actually looked forward to eating for once.  
"Breakfast is served." He said, over dramatically setting a plate in front of me. He took his own plate and sat across from me, looking up to stare at me anxiously.  
After a moment I realized what he wanted and tentatively took a bite. It tasted absolutely delicious, and I looked up at the Pharaoh and tentatively smiled. The way the spices were made the flavor seem to dance across your tongue.  
"I don't know where you learned to cook, or who you learned from, but you're good." I said. The Pharaoh seemed satisfied, and he began to eat his own meal in silence. After a few minutes, though, conversation was resumed.  
"So my name's Pharaoh? Or is that just what everybody calls me?" He asked, swallowing the bite that he was chewing. I smiled a bit, realizing that the fact he was talking with his mouth full was proof that he was comfortable with me. Manners, as prince of Egypt, had been hardwired into him from a young age. It took him being quite comfortable with someone for him to not use them.  
That, or he had to be angry.  
"Well, your _real_ name is Atem, though at first we thought your name was Yami." I replied. He looked confused.  
"Why did you think my name was Yami at first? Did I hide my real name or something?" He asked.  
"Well, it's another one of those 'long story' things." I responded, but he still looked skeptical.  
"Will most of these 'long story' things be explained to me eventually?" He asked, huffing. I smiled a bit, remembering fondly how impatient he tended to be with knowledge.  
"Eventually, yes." I said. He groaned.  
"It was my life, I'm a bit entitled to an explanation of it." He said.  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you now." I pointed out. He gave up and slumped in his chair, pouting.  
Usually when he'd pout, I'd walk over and 'kiss' or 'hug' him, but now I didn't know what to do. I wasn't going to initiate affection, not when I had no clue how he'd react. I was still too afraid of rejection.  
Just then, my grandpa walked in from his bedroom, carrying a towel over his arm. His hair was glistening and would occasionally drip, so I figured that he'd just gotten out of the shower.  
As soon as he saw me, he dropped his towel and his jaw.  
"Yuugi, you're eating!" He declared happily, "And I didn't even have to badger you for twenty minutes to get it to happen!"  
"Grandpa, it's not that big of a deal." I said.  
My grandfather sighed and looked at Atem, thanks and gratitude shining in his eyes. I didn't need to explain why I was eating again.  
Not when the love of my life was sitting across the table.  
Kaiba came out of the stairwell, dressed as if he was going somewhere dirty. I was curious as to what he was doing, because Kaiba hardly ever wears regular people clothes.  
"What's going on?" I asked, swallowing my bite. Kaiba cringed and looked at my grandpa, expecting for him to explain.  
"We're going to make a trip out of this." Grandpa said, looking happy. "Today, we want to go hiking to a good picnic in the mountains!"  
"Correction. _You_ wanted to go hiking today." Kaiba mumbled darkly, looking down at his clothes in disgust. "_I_ wanted to go to the history museum."  
"That sounds like fun!" I said, brightening up. It would be interesting to go hiking with the Pharaoh.  
"Well, go get dressed." Grandpa replied, smiling.  
I got up and practically ran to my room and changed as quickly as I could, not wanting to miss out on time with my Yami. Well, not mine anymore...  
It would still be fun to spend time with him, though.  
Even if there was no way he felt the same for me.  
I walked back upstairs, trying not to be too excited.  
The Pharaoh was standing there in an outfit almost identical to mine, including my signature belt around the neck. I was confused, seeing as how we hadn't actually picked up clothes for him yet. Kaiba observed my expression and let a smirk dance across his features.  
"I had a worker from the airport do some shopping last night. He needed a few extra bucks, but it was worth it for Yami and you to stay matching." He explained. I rolled my eyes at his antics.  
"Did we used to dress alike?" The Pharaoh asked. I nodded my head with a smile in his direction. (Was that too flirty?) We'd quite literally not been able to wear anything besides what the other was wearing.  
"This reminds me of the good old days." My grandpa said. "Let's get going."  
I kept trying desperately to get into the too tall car, but to no avail. Kaiba laughed and muttered something about his day not being so bad after all, but it didn't bother me because I knew he always enjoyed other people's struggles.  
"What, did they not teach you about getting into cars at hobbit school?" Kaiba sneered. I glared at him, but quickly stopped. The Pharaoh had put a hand down to help me up. I (blushingly) took a hold of it, feeling his firm grip. He pulled me up into the jeep and we landed a little too close, our bodies touching a lit. A little more and I would've ended up in his lap, and I thanked Ra that I didn't have to deal with that embarrassment.  
I still couldn't get used to the feeling of actually touching him. It was electric, sending jolts up my spine and through my body, traveling to my heart and urging it into a gallop. I couldn't get enough.  
I didn't scoot away. It took all of my courage and bravery, but I stayed where I was, yawning largely. I decided to use the excuse that I was tired to snuggle into him, laying my head on his shoulders. He seemed willing enough, scooting closer so my head wouldn't fall and laying his head on top of mine.  
At least, even if he didn't love me, I could still work up the nerve to be affectionate.


	5. Chapter 5

Okay guys ^_^ Just so you all know, there will be a zoo scene in this chapter. The words of Kaiba (on the subject of the tigers) were actually spoken to me by my old foreign exchange student, Carlos. I miss him so much and we had lots of fun together. So I'd like to dedicate this chapter to him. I miss him more than anything, really. *sigh* Well, here you go.

I don't own YuGiOh.

* * *

Yami's POV  
I was surprised to see Yuugi take initiative and be affectionate for once. It was pleasant, actually.  
I didn't know why, but it felt like... more, when he touched me. I wasn't sure if it was just because I wasn't used to it or if it was something that just naturally occurred.  
To be honest, I assumed that it was some of both.  
It was quite strange, but it seemed like whenever we were close, I felt so much more complete than I did on my own.  
I supposed that we must have been best friends. Inseparable, even.  
"We're here! " Said Yuugi's grandpa, but only after about thirty minutes of awkward silence driving in to a mysteriously forested mountain.  
We all shuffled out of the car and onto the solid earth. The scent of grass and general wildlife was astounding. Somehow, Kaiba managed to still remain pissy through all the beauty.  
Must be a talent of his.  
"Where's the trail, old man?" Kaiba demanded, scanning the trees for any sign of a break.  
"Right there." He responded flatly, gesturing towards a small break in the trees. Kaiba looked offended.  
"That trail looks like it was made for a deer, not people. I'm not walking that." Kaiba said flatly. Yuugi's grandpa started down the little trail, pushing leaves and branches out of the way as he went. No surprise, Kaiba did end up following him and sucking it up.  
I started down the musty trail, dodging branches along the way and praying that one wasn't going to get tangled in my hair. That wouldn't exactly be my definition of fun. I hadn't gotten to brush it yet this morning, meaning that I'd have to actually stop and slowly work the branch out of my hair.  
We hiked on for what seemed like forever, Yuugi having trouble getting over logs and just generally conquering the forest floor. After about half an hour, I could tell that he was already tired and sweaty.  
I wanted to offer my help somehow, but I didn't think he'd take too kindly to being offered a piggyback ride.  
"Are we getting close?" I asked, not wanting Yuugi to suffer any longer.  
"We're halfway there." He responded, dodging a couple more branches. I had to swoop even lower this time, and all this dodging really was killing my back.  
"Halfway to going crazy." Kaiba mumbled, kicking a leaf.  
Yuugi's climbing ability continued to get worse and worse as the time went on. He was panting heavily and having a lot of trouble keeping up. After fifteen minutes, I'd had enough. He couldn't keep suffering like this.  
"Can we stop and have a break?" I demanded, sitting down on the nearest log and sighing as if I were exhausted.  
"I guess if you really need one... Actually, we're closer than I thought. We'll just go on ahead and walk the rest of the way there. When you're done, just follow the trail." Yuugi's grandpa responded, charging on.  
"I'm getting this over with." Kaiba mumbled, following him.  
Yuugi wordlessly sat down next to me, panting and huffing as his body regulated itself.  
"You shouldn't work yourself that hard." I said quietly, glancing over at him. Ra only knows why or how I still cared so much for this person, despite knowing few things other than his name.  
"I know, but I just wanted to get it over with."  
"You still could've tripped and hurt yourself or something."  
"I'd be fine. I've tripped before and I'm still alive." He said, crossing his arms stubbornly. I smiled a bit at his determination.  
After sitting for a moment, my curiosity crept up.  
"So we were best friends, right?" I asked, because that's all I could think of that he would actually answer. Everything seemed to be a 'long story' with him.  
"Close enough, yeah. We were a bit closer than that." He said, turning away. I saw his ears turn red with a blush and when he looked back there was a faint mark on his lip, as if he'd been biting it.  
"So we were like brothers?" I asked. I wanted to know the definitive lines to my relationship with him.  
"Yeah, except not related." Yuugi replied, glancing back at me sheepishly. I nodded my head, sensing that there was much more to the explanation than that, but not wanting to push for information if it would make Yuugi uncomfortable. He clearly needed some time to explain everything; maybe things were complicated between us and he didn't want to explain just yet.  
I let the silence sit, turning and looking into the forest.  
About ten minutes passed and Yuugi stood, seemingly regenerated and ready to start our walking anew.  
I began to follow him through the woods, following his steady pace. I noticed that he was certainly determined and wondered idly if it was something he was born with, or if he'd been through something that caused it to develop. Either way, something I liked about him was that he could hold his own.  
After about ten minutes of walking, he started to trip over a small stick that he hadn't noticed in his path. Thinking fast, I grabbed his body and yanked it against mine to keep him from falling over.  
His eyes sparkled as he looked up at me, leaning back against my chest, and I almost, almost leaned down to gently brush our lips together...  
I looked at his lips, drawn in by his boyish beauty. Suddenly, we weren't in the woods. I was standing back in his bedroom, in Japan, and I had my arms around him in a similar fashion.  
"I love you." He whispered to me, and I smiled at the thought.  
"I love you, too." I said, leaning down to press our lips together. Except, for some reason, I couldn't feel him. I tried to hold back my frustration and longing, but I ultimately failed and broke away from him with a long sigh. I wished desperately to feel him, even if only once...  
Why was I, of all people, having fantasies about another man? Especially fantasies that made me want to, so badly, to take him in my arms and kiss him breathless. A fantasy that felt hauntingly like a memory, especially since I couldn't possibly know what his room really looked like.  
However, it couldn't be a memory. I'd kissed him, and he'd made it clear that we were only friends. Maybe, though...  
I forced myself to stop there. I couldn't even get my hopes up about that! I'd only have my heart broken by someone I didn't remember.  
No matter how much it felt like a memory.  
How could it be a memory anyways? I couldn't feel him; that was impossible.  
"Let's go on ahead." I said with a sigh. He shook his head yes, still watching me warily.  
We continued on the trail and through the woods until we reached the meadow, acompanied by a small number of pill bugs that had hitched a ride attached to my boots.  
I looked around to find Yuugi's grandfather and Kaiba sitting at a small blanket laid out on a rock. There was a small creek to the left, running clear water that promised a nice, fresh-from-the-mountains taste.  
I walked over to the picnic and plopped myself down, stretching idly as Yuugi's grandpa prepared the sandwiches.  
Yuugi came over and I gestured for him to sit beside me. He walked over and sat right down, never breaking eye contact. I'd noticed by now that he almost never did break eye contact with me, and I wondered if it was something he'd learned from habit or if it was new. I'd been wondering about him a lot lately.  
I barely noticed that Yuugi's grandfather was holding out a sandwich, and snapped my focas from Yuugi to take it, mumbling my thanks. It had been... almost difficult to break my focus from him.  
I waited until Yuugi had his to begin eating, trying to concentrate on the flavor rather than the young boy sitting beside me. In my defense, he did have mesmerizing beauty.  
After I was done, though, I was able to continuously sneak glances at him. Kaiba was taking forever to finish eating, so I had plenty of time to kill.  
Yuugi stood up and headed over to the creek, kneeling and seeming to look for something. After a moment, his eyes lit up and he moved a few inches, dipping his hands into the water as if to retrieve something. A few moments later, his hands emerged from the water and he turned, standing up. He walked over to me with his hands cupped.  
He held out his hands to reveal a heart shaped rock, and when I looked back up-  
We were in his bedroom again. He was holding something very different from a rock; a puzzle with an eye on it. It was a bright golden color and in the shape of a pyramid, but it was hung upside down. I reached out and put my hands over his, even though I knew that he couldn't feel them.  
"Yami?" Yuugi asked, dragging me back to the present. I reached out and took the rock, blushing slightly. I slipped it into my pocket, deep down so that it wouldn't fall out.  
If I kept having these crazy delusions out of desperation to remember, I was going to have to go to the hospital again.

* * *

Yuugi's POV  
When everyone was finally done, we struggled along the path again and climbed back into the huge car. I still couldn't believe that I'd done something as risky as giving the Pharaoh that rock, but I decided that dwelling on it would simply make me more nervous, and I certainly didn't need that.  
After a few minutes of driving, I noticed that we weren't headed back to the cabin.  
"Grandpa, where are we going?" I asked, and he smiled fondly.  
"Surprise! We're going to the zoo!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly. He had to stop quickly, though, because he was sort of trying to drive. I smiled a bit, glancing at the Pharaoh. The one time we had gone to the zoo, his reactions had been hilarious. He didn't know so many animals had existed, let alone could be kept!  
We pulled up to the zoo, finding that most of the parking spots were already occupied.  
We ended up parking a ways away, and we had to walk 1/4th of a mile to get to the ticket booth.  
After dealing with the people there, we continued into the zoo. First up, we headed to ride the train since we didn't have long there. I sat next to Yami, while Kaiba and my Grandpa were unlucky enough to have to sit next to each other.  
"Everybody fasten your seat belts, because it's gonna be a bumpy ride!" A stewardess said, causing some of the younger kids to gasp in surprise. "Hold your partner tight!" She said, encouraging people with an enthusiastic, "Come on!"  
A couple of the little kids tightly grasped their friends, and she frowned in disappointment. "Come on! We're not moving this along until everyone has participated!"  
Yami tentatively reached out to wrap his arms around me, pulling me close to his body.  
I melted, leaning back against him Oh, how easy it would be to just forget about the past year, forget that he'd forgotten. How easy it would be to just whisper softly that I loved him, how sweet...  
That was exactly why being in his arms felt so very dangerous.  
Looking for something to distract me, I glanced back at Grandpa and Kaiba, who had locked arms reluctantly. I choked back laughter from the sight. Kaiba was looking at my grandpa like he was getting poor people germs on him, while my grandpa was smiling widely.  
Yami glanced back and saw the sight, letting a few bars of laughter himself. Hearing his happiness was music to my ears. Oh, how I'd missed his rich, deep laugh and warm smile. He may have been the darkness, but that didn't necessarily mean he was all bad.  
Plus, he was mine.  
Scratch that, used to be mine.  
The train started up and it took us over some exhibits and across the lake, giving a show of the variety of different animals. I constantly had to translate what the stewardess was saying to Yami, seeing as how he couldn't understand one word of English.  
When the train ride was finally over, I watched sadly as Yami's arms moved from around me he and climbed out of the seat, holding out a hand to help me.  
I gratefully took the hand, happy that I wouldn't have to jump out for once. (Yeah, I'm freaking short.)  
I had to hold back another fit of giggles when I saw Kaiba take out a bottle of hand sanitizer and use it on the arm that Grandpa's had been locked with. I found it much too amusing to take any real offense to the gesture.  
Next, we went on to the monkey exhibit. We encountered a couple of monkeys that appeared to be attempting to hide from the growing crowds, but most of them were out showing of and, well... monkeying around.  
After that, it was off to the petting zoo.  
Yami stared in amazement at the goats, seemingly never having seen one before. I found it amusing that he'd had more of a reaction to the goats than the monkeys. Goats, of all things.  
We walked into the pen, seeing the goats moving to and fro, fighting over food, or being brushed, or shade. Regular goat things, I'd presume. Yami sat down on the stone wall and eyed them warily.  
"You can touch them, if you want." I said, smiling slightly. His eyes widened slightly and he tentatively reached a hand out to stroke a goat's fur.  
While he was distracted, another goat snuck up next to him, jumping onto the stone wall to get closer. I watched in mild amusement as Yami petted its friend, unknowing.  
The goat nudged him with its head hard, seemingly asking for some attention itself. Yami immediately jumped up, looking at the other goat in fear as he tumbled off the wall, hitting the pavement hard right on his bottom.  
Kaiba, (Who, of course, wouldn't dream of going near goats, let alone voluntarily) started laughing like a maniac. He was doubled over, laughing harder than I'd ever seen him laugh before. Even I had to admit that it was a little funny. I had a hard time not laughing myself when I got a look at the Pharaoh's bewildered face.  
I tried not to smile as I helped him up, and he turned and scowled at the goat, as if blaming him for everything that happened. At that, I couldn't help but laugh a little, and he turned back to glare at me, but I could tell he was being playful about it. He was having a hard time not smiling himself.  
"Well, it looks like I know the winning card for my next duel. Scapegoat!" Kaiba declared happily, laughing at his own joke.  
"Duel Monsters?" Yami asked, and Kaiba sobered up.  
"Yeah. The children's card game. You do remember how to play, right?" Kaiba asked warily. Yami waited a moment, seemingly scanning his memory before shaking his head yes. I let out a breath that I hadn't even been aware I was holding. I was happy that he remembered Duel Monsters... but I did feel a bit like I'd been upstaged by a card game.  
Next up, we decided to go to Big Cat Canyon.  
We walked along to the Canyon, keeping an eye out for the Big Cats. We eagerly followed the signs to the white tiger exhibits, where two tigers were soundly sleeping in a cave that had been built into the enclosure.  
"Wow." Yami said, leaning over to the side.  
"It's really not that magnificent. Look at the poor things; they're just waiting to die. They're probably trying to find a way to kill themselves as we speak." Kaiba said flatly, crossing his arms and looking at the Tigers in disgust.  
"Well that's cheerful." I said flatly, rolling my eyes.  
"Why would they want to kill themselves?" Yami asked, genuinely confused. "Death is never a way to solve your problems. Running from life doesn't make anything better." Yami argued.  
"Well, if you were locked into a pen with say, Yuugi here," He started, and I glared at him for dragging me into this, "A small pen, day after day with him as your only company, you wouldn't like your life."  
Yami pondered this for a moment.  
"Well, it wouldn't be so bad if I had someone interesting for companionship. If it were you, on the other hand," The Pharaoh started, glaring at Kaiba as he spoke, "I might consider killing myself."  
I laughed for a little while while Kaiba scowled openly, and he didn't stop until we'd moved on to the next exhibit.  
"Yes, because I'm sure you'd be much more entertained with Yuugi." He said, a slight suggestive tone barely detectable in his voice. Luckily, Yami didn't hear it.  
Next, we decided to try and find a bathroom.  
After we finally did, I quickly went in and hurried along, reminding myself that we did have a time limit for how long we could be there.  
I found a small butterfly on my way out of the bathroom, sitting on a wall. I held out my hand, making the butterfly crawl onto my finger. (I knew better than to touch the wings.) The butterfly fluttered its wings a few times before settling down on my finger, and I eagerly headed back to the group to show off my discovery.  
Yami gaped in amazement. I laughed and held it out to him, and he tentatively reached out to let it crawl onto his fingers.  
"Be careful." I warned. He shook his head in understanding and brought the butterfly closer to him. He studied it a moment before it suddenly fluttered it's wings and began to fly away, using his finger as a launching pad.  
"It liked you better." Yami said, leaning over to hug me affectionately. I jumped a little in surprise before absolutely melting, happy to be in his arms. He released me all too soon, looking off to the side warily, looking absentminded. I wondered what had happened to make him so jumpy all of a sudden, but decided not to question it.  
After that was the final stop. The crocodiles at the reptile house.  
The snakes were all mostly asleep, but the crocodiles were active enough. Instead of looking at them, though, I decided to look around at the sleeping snakes, frogs, and lizards. I read the facts on the cages with mild interest until I felt Yami's eyes on me. I glanced back at him momentarily, making eye contact.  
It absolutely crushed me. Everything, all together, a blow right in my stomach. The worst part? I was slowly convincing myself that he did like me a little, that there was still hope that we would get back together. I cursed myself for that. Couldn't I just accept it? Couldn't I just be satisfied with the fact that he was here with me, that I could finally touch him and every little brush felt like electricity? Couldn't that satisfy me?  
The car ride home seemed like forever, but we finally arrived back home at 10:00 at night, so at least I could avoid socializing and go ahead to bed.  
Though, when I got back to my room, sleep was the last thing I was going to do. I took out my poetry book, a book that had been hidden in the bottom of my bags for awhile now.  
After the Pharaoh had gone, I'd almost completely stopped writing in it. Where before I'd been writing in it constantly at least once a week for almost a year, I dropped down to about once every two months, only accomplishing six poems in the time that he had left. None of them should be spoken of, due to the fact that they were incredibly depressing.  
None of that mattered at the moment, though. It was out, and I had two or three more less depressing poems to write. At least I had the Pharaoh back now.  
I took my pen and began to write, words seeming to flow out of me and onto the paper seamlessly. This was probably going to be a late night.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, my readers! Thank you all so much! As we are approaching the end of this story, I'm reminded again what a great bunch you all are! NEVER FEAR! There will be a sequel. I'm currently only halfway done with it though. So there will be some time between this story and the release of the next one. Not sure how much time, but no longer than two months. Again, only you guys have made this possible. Also, I wanted to just say that SOPA IS, in fact, maybe coming back. I'd very much enjoy it if you'd go sign a petition or something to stop that. Bye.

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Yami's POV  
Since Yuugi had gone to bed, I saw no real reason to force my own tired eyes to stay open. Kaiba and Yuugi's grandpa were mildly entertaining, but not to the extend where I'd push myself to remain in their company.  
I walked back to my bedroom, changing into my pajamas. I thought of all that had happened today, of how much fun that I'd had seeing Yuugi happy. Mostly, though; I thought of my memories.  
Scary, unreal things kept cropping up, impossible situations lacking sensation or touch. Things that couldn't possibly be real. Duels in which I was afraid, not only for myself, but for my friends and my host. Wait, host? Why was I suddenly calling Yuugi my host?  
I shook my head to clear it, and climbed into bed, tucking the covers up over my head to create a warm cocoon for myself.  
I needed a nice, long rest.  
Unfortunately, that's not what I received.  
_I was back with Yuugi, and he turned to me with fright in his eyes. _  
_"Pharaoh, don't leave me to my demons, you have to remember me, please!" Yuugi exclaimed. I vaguely connected that this was a continuation of the dream I had a few days back. _  
_A feral howl shattered my ears, and even worse; a piercing scream shattered my heart._  
_"Tell my you remember, please!" Yuugi pleaded, grabbing my shirt._  
_"I-I-" I tried to lie, but the words caught in my throat and I realized that I couldn't. "I can't remember enough." I sighed. Yuugi turned away momentarily as a wolf came over the mountain and ran towards him, behind it following a large pack. It was snow white and seemed to radiate ferocity and coolness. Even the places where it's paws touched, the ground itself, seemed to shiver as ice coated it. Everywhere where the wolves stepped was coated in a thin layer of ice. All the wolves were varying shades of white and grey, excluding their bright red, dripping muzzles that I'm certain just moments ago had been inside of a carcass._  
_The entire pack was gaining, and their howls became unbearably loud and piercing, until they were just feet away. _  
_Tears were in Yuugi's eyes as he leaned forward and 'kissed' me, and the leader's teeth sunk deep into his ankle, causing him to collapse onto the cool earth._  
_I screamed, trying to bat the wolf away. I couldn't touch him, though. I couldn't stop him from viciously tearing open Yuugi's leg._  
_"STOP! YOU'RE HURTING HIM!" I screamed, but my actual sounds were washed out by Yuugi's terrible cry of pain. I dropped to my knees, and the wolf seemed to smile._  
_Then, a strange, choked sound began to come from it. I looked over to find that it was...laughing?_  
_"Ha! Pharaoh, we're going to TEAR YOUR AIBOU APART, limb from limb, while you WATCH!" The beast spat, its unnaturally gruff and cruel voice sending shivers down my spine. "Not that you care. Isn't that right, Yuugi? He doesn't even love you enough to remember!"_  
_"I KNOW he does..." Yuugi said. The wolf laughed again and then suddenly lunged, tearing a huge chunk out of Yuugi's arm. Fresh, rich blood began to stain his muzzle as he tore into Yuugi, ushering an unearthly scream to tear itself from his beautiful lips._  
_"Stop, STOP!" I shouted. The wolf, in return, barked out a reply and the other wolves joined in, each grasping a different part of Yuugi's body to hold him down. There was no way he could fight. Yuugi screamed again as their teeth dug into his soft, pale skin. I wanted to turn and look away, but I couldn't. Yuugi's blood ran down his teeth and onto the newly frozen ground, turning the snow to a bright red. The leader paced around him as the others held him still. Yuugi gritted his teeth to avoid screaming, looking at me with his eyes full of torment._  
_"He never loved you. He LEFT you!" The alpha declared, lunging. Yuugi tried to tear away, but the strength of the other wolves was too great, and the alpha dug its muzzle into Yuugi's stomach. Yuugi let out a scream, and it tore right through my heart._  
_I swang my arms wildly at the wolves, but I couldn't touch them, couldn't stop their gnashing teeth from tearing into Yuugi. They all joined in in tearing chunks out of him, and his agonized screams seemed to completely fill the forest. _  
_"Please, PLEASE!" I screamed desprately, but to no avail. "Take me instead, just PLEASE STOP HURTING HIM!" I cried. I began to frantically work my way across the ground towards him, dropping to my knees beside his face. His screaming died down and them altogether stopped, the energy clearly draining from his body. "I love you." I whispered. Only then did I realized that it was true. _  
_He panted and gasped out in pain, but I could see the faint glimmer of his eyes despite._  
_"L-L-Love you, t-too!"Yuugi gasped the last word as one of the smaller wolves tore another chunk out of his arm. I leaned forward and 'kissed' him gently, wishing desperately that he would feel it._  
_Finally, the alpha backed away, barking to the others to stop the tearing. They were all dripping with Yuugi's blood. _  
_"He'll die now." The wolf said with a laugh, turning away. "Hold him while you can."_  
_Suddenly, I could feel him. I grabbed him and pulled him into my arms, holding him close. If the movement hurt him, he gave no sign._  
_"Please stay with me, please don't die." I whispered brokenly as the wolves disappeared, back to whatever hell they were spawned out of. I heard in the distance the wolf's long howl of victory, and I wondered if he knew that he was a monster._  
_Despite the pain, I saw Yuugi smile. "I can't. I'm so sorry. But... I'd die happy if..."_  
_"If?"_  
_"If I could get a kiss..." He trailed off. I didn't even hesitate, knowing that I didn't have that kind of time. I leaned forward, taking his face in my free hand, and kissed him gently, pressing my lips against his._  
_There is NO describing that kiss. Full of love and sorrow, sadness and foreboding. His lips caused a halt to all proper thoughts, and I pressed my lips down on his harder. If he was going to die, I'd make sure he knew that I'd loved him. I'd make sure that he knew how it had hurt me too, be sure..._  
_I felt him relax and I kissed him harder, as if that would somehow give him the strength to stay with me._  
_Of course, that wasn't the case. _  
_His entire body relaxed and he closed his eyes. The blood that was flowing freely from his wounds began to slow and weaken. I pulled away from the kiss, and his body began to cool beneath the snow. His breath gave a final jolt before stopping completely._  
_"I love you." I whispered, but I knew that he could no longer hear me. I leaned forward to kiss his forehead, but I was no longer able. I couldn't feel him anymore. _  
_He was dead._  
I sat up straight in bed, panting. just a dream, just a...  
I reached up to feel the tears on my face silently. I had to make sure he was okay, had to make sure he was safe...

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Yuugi's POV  
I'd just put away my poetry book, and I was checking the time. It was almost midnight, so I briefly considered going up to the porch to stargaze again.  
I decided against it, though. I needed to get some sleep. So, I closed my eyes and pulled the covers over my chest, when-  
Yami knocked on my door.  
"Come in!" I shouted, and he opened it slowly. He was trembling and he had tears shining in his eyes.  
"What happened?" I asked. He didn't respond, instead walking over to me slowly. He placed his hand onto my shoulder. I looked up into his tear filled eyes, and he hugged me gently. So gently...  
I sighed, going almost completely numb from the touch. He ran a hand along my bare back, and I had to repress a small shiver. I knew that I'd always be hyper sensitive to his touch, because I'd gone so long without it before.  
He pulled back to look me straight in the eyes.  
"I'm sorry, I just..."  
"No really, it's fine. What happened?"  
"I- I had a bad dream."  
"Oh, I know how that is." I said, hesitating. He was clearly in need of comfort, but I wasn't sure how to offer it. I scooted over and patted the bed next to me. He sat down close. "Want to talk about it?"  
"Well, there were wolves." He said, and I froze up. Had he been having the same type of dream as I always had? "They came over a hill and they... they..." He said, beginning to choke up. I reached over to pat his back.  
"Did they hurt you?" I asked gently. I knew how hard in was dealing with those kind of dreams. However, to my surprise, he shook his head no. "What did they do?"  
"They hurt you." He said quietly, and I froze again. All this emotion, crying, was over... me?  
"Well, I'm alright. I'm right here." I said, hugging him close.  
"I know, it's just... I couldn't stop them. I couldn't touch them at all, I couldn't even touch you to drag you away. Not until you were already almost dead." He said, looking up at me. Hope rose up in me. Maybe that meant, even on a subconscious level, that he remembered something. It was only a glimmer of hope, but it was enough.  
"Do you want to sleep in here for the night?" I offered.  
He hesitated for a moment before subtly shaking his head yes. I scooted over more and pulled back the covers, making room for him. He got in and sat close to me, slinging one of his arms around me. I sighed and relaxed completely, happier than I'd been for... well, a year.  
I snuggled close, feeling his warmth. This was all a dream come true. He was here, he remembered, even if it was only a little. I wanted more than anything to turn around and see just how much he remembered... I wanted so badly in that moment to kiss him, so badly that it was a physical ache. I had to control myself, though.  
Gods, it was amazing to have him so close, so near, it was completely indescribable. I'd hoped for this for so long. I'd lost all hope that it would ever happen.  
He suddenly propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at me. I turned and looked back at him in confusion.  
His hand came down and stroked a line from my ear and down along my jaw, finally ending on my chin. I felt goosebumps rise all over my body, and I parted my lips lightly, silently begging for him to kiss me. I could have sworn... he was so close, so close... But then he swerved, and he kissed my cheek instead.  
I tried not to show my immense disappointment, turning back and tugging his arm, signalling for him that it was time to go to sleep. He lay down with me and pulled me closer. I eventually faded off into a restful sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay guys! Up to 24 followers! Now we're getting somewhere, eh? ^_^ I'm still working on the sequel. Writing it, not typing it. That I haven't even started yet. I think it will be named, "I Need To Know" or something along those lines. I'll tell you when it's 100% official. That being said, this is the 2nd to last chapter of the first. Meaning the next chapter will be the last chapter. So here you go! It's a day early because I'm going to be gone tomorrow, so don't expect the update next time to be on Saturday, too.

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Yuugi's POV

When I woke in the morning, I almost couldn't believe the events of the night before weren't just some crazy, amazing dream.  
Then again, the Pharaoh did still have an arm around me. I lay there for a minute, happy to just be in his embrace. It was heaven for me, just being in his arms, so close to him. I could feel his body heat mingle with mine under the covers, and smiled. With this kind of beautiful heat surrounding me, I doubted that I'd ever feel cold again. It was like heaven for me, in his arms.  
I slowly yawned, stretching largely as I turned to face him. To my surprise, he was already awake, and I smiled widely.  
"Good morning." I said, blushing a little. He smiled a bit and got up, releasing some of the warmth from under the blankets. I watched as he lifted his arms up and stretched widely, yawning. I tried not to be disappointed from the lack of contact, but it was hard not to.  
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" He asked, seeming genuinely interested. I shook my head yes, and his small grin turned into a full on happy smile. My own lips twitched up more. I just couldn't help but be happy from his joy. "Do you want to go get some breakfast?"  
I climbed out of bed eagerly, trying to shake the groggy, just-woke-up feeling that I had. I wasn't used to having to really wake up from a good night's sleep. I had been plagued by nightmares for so long now that it had been awhile since I'd had sleep that deep. My dreams of twisted happenings always kept me alert and on edge, even in my sleep.  
We walked up the stairs in silence, and I was honestly tempted to grab his hand, but I didn't want to take the risk of scaring him away.  
As we approached, we caught the tail end of a conversation.  
"I- I just don't know. Yuugi's going to be devastated. I don't even know how I'll tell him."  
"Well, you have to. I'm not telling him, you're his grandpa."  
"Tell me what?" I asked. My grandpa glanced over at me and the Pharaoh and surprise shone in his eyes.  
"Where the hell were you? I went to wake you up, but you weren't there." Kaiba said immediately, glaring at Yami. I flinched. This was going to be difficult to explain.  
"Thank god you're alright." My grandpa said.  
"Where were you?" Kaiba demanded. I sighed and stepped forward.  
"H-He was with me." I said.  
"Why were you awake so early?" He asked him.  
"I slept with Yuugi last night." He answered, rolling his eyes. It was understandable to us to be worried about him, but to him it was probably ridiculous.  
He also didn't notice that the sentence 'I slept with Yuugi last night' had two different meanings.  
"I didn't need to know that, but good for you two." Kaiba sneered sarcastically, dripping venom.  
"NOT like THAT!" I shrieked immediately, though my face was probably bright scarlet. "He came into my room and we slept in the same bed!" I exclaimed.  
"Listen. I don't care why, All I know is that you scared the hell out of me and Yuugi's grandpa. That's not okay."  
"Well, you'll know to check Yuugi's room next time." Yami replied coolly, and hope immediately rose in me.  
Wait... Next time? Like that was going to happen again? There weren't even words to describe my hope and happiness in that statement. It had felt so right to be in his arms like that, to wake up next to him. It felt like I really belonged.  
Not only that, but knowing that last night was about me. That kind of terror had come from my well being. Knowing that he truly cared for me. My wide smile probably gave away my utter joy at the words, but I couldn't even care enough to stop.  
"Okay, Okay." My grandpa said, stepping in between the two groups. "Let's forget about everything and go eat breakfast."  
I walked over to the table quickly, eager to get the small fight over with and eat breakfast. I knew that the others would follow.  
Yami came over next to me and sat down, scooting a little closer than would typically be socially acceptable. He looked down at me with eyes full of emotion, and I smiled a bit. Last night's dream was obviously getting to him a bit, and I hoped I could reassure some of his fear. I didn't want him to feel like that...  
My grandpa threw down some pop tarts, and I grabbed the package eagerly, struggling to open it with my hands for a moment before I gave up and opened it with my teeth.  
Kaiba sat across from us and slowly ate, not necessarily making things terribly awkward, but making it hard to have a casual conversation. He tended to do that.  
All through breakfast, Kaiba was making subtle innuendos that Yami and I were more than friends. I was practically shaking by the time breakfast was done, so nervous that Yami would catch on and be disgusted by the very idea. It took him so long to realize he liked me the first time, months... Took me even longer to realize that I liked him...  
"Alright, let's go to the arcade while we're down here!" My grandpa said excitedly. "Let's all get into the car!" He exclaimed, smiling. I shrugged and jumped up from the table, running to change with Yami trailing behind.  
We all filed into the car, (me being helped in by the Pharaoh) and drove to the arcade in silence. Well, for the most part.  
I'd scooted closer to the Pharaoh and Kaiba just couldn't resist commenting on how we seemed close in every way.  
We pulled into the arcade and filed out one by one, and walked through the doors, enjoying the blast of cool air conditioning.  
I went straight to th slot machines, because that was basically the only place I had good luck. Yami decided to stay with me since he couldn't speak English, and it was a lot of fun. Yami played a couple times, and he luck was even better than mine.  
After awhile, a couple of American punks strolled over and decided that it would be fun to pick on me.  
"Hey look, somebody brought an elf!" One of them declared, causing a round of laughter to ensue.  
"What did they say?" Yami asked, and I sighed. I reluctantly translated it and he narrowed his eyes at the boys, putting an arm around me protectively.  
"Tell them to shut their mouths before I shut it for them." He growled, putting an arm around me protectively.  
"He said to tell you to shut your mouths before he does it for you." I relayed to them, watching in smug satisfaction as the smirks were wiped right off their faces.  
"Don't let your brother fight your battles." One of them mumbled, but they were walking away. I rolled my eyes.  
We left fairly soon after that, because we needed to pack.  
Tonight was the night we would go home.  
We would leave the cabin just after dark, and as long as we stayed up for part of the flight, we'd all be ready to go back to Japan's timing immediately. I couldn't wait to see everyone, no matter how nervous I was too.

Yami's POV  
I was incredibly nervous to leave. I wanted to meet everyone, but at the same time, I was scared that it would hurt them that I didn't remember, too. Over all, though, I was happy and excited to go back.  
I couldn't wait for the possible remembrance that could happen. I was still hoping for some sort of a random trigger, so I wouldn't have to deal with seeing Yuugi hurt that I remembered someone else instead of him.  
I was constantly getting flashbacks and memories, but none of them seemed real enough. I couldn't feel, and Yuugi was always just as in love with me as I was with him. I knew that that couldn't be true. It was just simply improbable.  
That depressed me.  
Despite being stressful at times, the memories were always so... beautiful. So perfect to know that what we had was returned.  
Yuugi was so beautiful. He had been beautiful since the first time I'd lain eyes on him, and he would never cease to be beautiful to me. Even if he never returned my affections.  
I went downstairs to my room to pack up my things, sulking the whole way down the stairs.  
I wanted so badly to remember for him. I knew that it would make him happy, and help assure him that I really did care.  
Boy, did I care.  
I walked down the stairs to my room, throwing my stuff into a bag, not really caring about organizing it as much as just getting it over with.  
I mean, there was no way that I could make myself remember. If there was, I'd probably do it in a heartbeat. I'd go to the moon and back just to please him. No, not just to please him, but to alleviate the pain he felt. I knew how badly it hurt him that I couldn't remember him, and I'd do anything in the world to change that for him. Anything in the world to make him smile... The fact that I was hurting him, even unintentionally, hurt me. I wanted nothing in the world more than for him to be happy, and the fact that he wasn't was tearing me apart inside. Not to mention that there was nothing I could really do about it.  
Kaiba walked into my room and held up a deck of trading cards, holding them out towards me. I stared at them in confusion and looked up at him to question their purpose, but he didn't respond until the silence proved that I was really clueless.  
"Want to play a game? There's a game table just around the corner. I don't really feel like using duel disks." He said, and I nodded warily. I wasn't really looking forward to getting into a game with Kaiba, especially with his tendency to take everything much too seriously. I could tell that there would be alot more fierce competition than there would be actual fun.  
"What about my deck?" I asked uncertainly. I couldn't very well play without cards, and they were hopefully my cards. Or, the cards that I seemed to remember. I still wasn't buying that those were my real memories.  
"Already on the table." Kaiba said, rolling his eyes. I tried to ignore it, assuming that he was always a total prick to people. I still didn't particularly want to play a very intense game of duel monsters right now, but it's not like we were having a tournament. He couldn't get too competitive.  
"Okay, sure." I said tentatively, and he smiled. He turned and made a gesture indicating that I should follow him, and I did as he commanded.  
We walked over to the table and he pulled out his seat, sitting casually before lazily beginning to shuffle his deck. He paused to flash me a look of pure challenge and I inwardly groaned. It seemed like he would be taking this very serious.  
I picked up my deck and looked through a few of the cards, recognizing all of them/ I paused for a moment, too shocked to do anything but stare.  
This was the deck that I had remembered. No doubt about that. This is the deck that I'd fought countless battles with. I guess at least somewhere in my subconscious mind, I remembered it. There were no other possible explanations; my memories were much too unrealistic to be true.  
I regained my composure quickly, beginning to shuffle my deck thoroughly.  
When the game began, I didn't enjoy the intensity of the play. Eventually, though, I was able to get into it and actually ended up having a lot of fun. I found out that the heart of the cards was definently no stranger to me, and I was pretty well off.  
About halfway through the duel, Yuugi came slowly around the corner, observing the situation for a minute before he came all the way into the room, walking over to observe our duel.  
"I play the Dark Magician in attack mode." I said, placing him down on the table. I glanced up to find Yuugi smiling down at the card, seemingly affectionate. It made me smile just the slightest bit too, seeing him happy like that.  
"Is he your favorite?" I asked, smiling at him. He shook his head yes.  
"Actually, he was both of our favorites. And..." His smile faltered, and he seemed to be contemplating saying something or not. In the end, he did. "Even though you don't remember him, I'm sure that he remembers you." He added.  
"I- I think I know what you mean." I said, smiling. Yuugi smiled back wider, visibly relaxing. I assumed that he'd been nervous of ridicule or coming across as crazy, but of course, I knew exactly what he was talking about.  
Kaiba quickly turned my attention back to the duel.  
After a long and taxing duel, I stood victorious, with only 500 lifepoints left. Either way, Kaiba had lost.  
I actually had a lot more fun than I expected. I found that I enjoyed the duel despite how seriously Kaiba had taken it. In the end, I was smiling as I reshuffled my deck.  
"Hey Yuugi, can I come hang out with you?" I asked. Yuugi's eyes lit up and he smiled broadly, shaking his head vigorously.  
"Come on, we can talk in my room." He said excitedly, walking off. I got up quickly and followed him down the hall, chuckling at his enthusiasm.  
Yuugi walked into his room and threw his bag down on his floor, causing the zipper to open slightly. He smiled at me and gave a nervous laugh, twiddling his thumbs.  
"I have to go to the bathroom, will you wait here for me or will that be an issue? I mean, do you have something you need, or...?" He asked, laughing a little again. I smiled at how nervous he was, finding it nothing if not adorable.  
No wonder I'd fallen in love with him.  
"That's fine. I don't have anything that's more important than you." I said, trying not to sound too affectionate. I didn't want him catching on to the fact that I liked him, because I didn't want it to effect our relationship.  
Yuugi blushed, glancing over his shoulder to look at me as he exited the room. I could hear that he was practically running down the hallway to get back fast, and that made me smile even wider.  
I chuckled at his enthusiasm, looking for something random to entertain me until he got back.  
I scanned the walls, noting that the blue was just a shade lighter than that of his bed room. Well, what I had assumed to be his bedroom from my faulty, unrealistic memories.  
I continued looking at the lamp on his side dresser. The symbols on it were Egyptian, and for some reason it gave me this nice, homey feel. Weird.  
I continued to let my eyes dance across the room until they fell upon Yuugi's bag. I looked at the clothes through the slightly unzipped part, when a flash caught my eyes.  
I certainly didn't want to invade Yuugi's personal space, but I couldn't help but being a little too curious to properly contain it.  
I opened the bag a little wider and then dropped to my knees beside it, pulling it completly out of the bag.  
The millennium puzzle.  
I gasped, clutching it close to me. What did this mean? Could all of those... crazy memories... Could all of them... be... real?  
It seemed impossible, so extraordinary. There was absolutely no way that any of this could be true, especially considering everything involved. I couldn't feel, I couldn't touch, There was no way that it could possibly be real, no way...  
Yet, the proof was in my grasp.  
I shook my head, staring at the puzzle in awe. What did this mean? How many of my memories were real, (if any) and to what extent? Was I still being delusional?  
I had a million different questions, and only one person who could give me answers.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you all so much for sticking with me through it all. This will be my first completed story, so I'd just like to say that this chapter is dedicated to the readers. It'll be around six weeks before the sequel comes out, but I trust that you'll all be patient with me. Thank you again, and I love you guys.

PLEASE REVIEW!

I don't own YuGiOh.

Yuugi's POV

I walked back into my room at a normal speed, struggling to control my excitement. The sight that graced my eyes was not one I'd soon forget. The Pharaoh was resting on his knees with the millennium puzzle in his hands, clutching it to his chest possesively. I stared at him in confusion for a moment.

"Yami?" I asked tentatively, stepping into my bedroom slowly. I knew that I had concern shining in my eyes and I tried to hide it, worried that he'd be offended over it. He looked up at me slowly, his eyes full of raw emotion, and my heart stopped beating.

"Yuugi, I need to _know._" He said brokenly, and I watched the muscles in his hands tighten as he clutched the puzzle like a lifeline. I was absolutely dumbstruck; I had no clue what to say to him. Questions were swirling around in my head like a storm.

"About what?" I finally asked, deciding that I needed to pinpoint exactly what was in question before I could properly respond.

"About _everything."_ He said, giving a brief pause to contemplate his choice of words, "I-I'm getting back little pieces of my memories, and I need to know what's real and what I've made up, because Yuugi," He gave a deep, frustrated sigh at this point, as if struggling to put it in the right words, " It's unbelievable. I need to make sure I'm not going _insane._" He said, looking down at the puzzle. I sighed and walked forward to him, holding out my hand.

He looked up at it warily for a moment before slowly reaching up to grasp it in his own, allowing me to pull him up off of the carpet. I sat down on my bed and patted the space next to me, hoping for him to take the hint and sit down next to me. Luckily, he sat down quickly and turned to me, his eyes shining like he was dependednt upon my every word.

"Tell me what you remember."

"It was indescribeable. I wasn't able to feel you, I wasn't able to feel anything. I remember dueling, and I sort of remember some friends of ours. I remember going on an island to retrieve your grandfather's soul, and beginning to learn about the magic of the millennium items." He said. I sighed and looked upon his broken expression, knowing deep down in my heart that he deserved to know.

So I told him. I told him everything. Except, that is, our relationship.

It didn't seem like he was going to remember that, and I wasn't going to push for it. He meant enough to me for me to refrain from scaring him away or damage our relationship, even if it meant that I'd be unhappy for awhile. It was worth it to me.

When I was finally done with the explanations, we sat there in silence, his face scrunched up in concentration as he digested everything that had been said.

"Well, at least I know I'm not crazy anymore." He said with a small chuckle. I chuckled too, relieved that he didn't reject the entire thing. He was taking this fairly well. Most people would have called me crazy and left halfway through it. Then again, Yami wasn't _most people._

"It can be hard to take in." I said, taking a deep breath, "You should probably go and pack, we have to leave in fourty-five minutes." I added. The explanation had taken up quite a chunk of our time.

"Okay, I understand." He said, getting up and stretching. He walked out, pausing by my door to say a quick, "See you soon," before continuing his path.

I sighed and stood up myself, deciding to go upstairs and watch the sunset for the last fourty-five minutes.

I left my bag down here, knowing that I'd be able to come back for it later, and honestly not feeling like walking all the way up the stairs carrying it.

I walked onto the deck, shutting the door firmly behind me.

I strolled over to the bench, running a hand along it softly in fond remembrance of when Yami had held me close. I glanced over the mountains, towards the rising sun and sighed, sitting down. It would still be another twenty minutes until the sunset, but it was still so beautiful, and promised to grow in appeal.

Yami's POV

I couldn't believe everything that was happening. It was so... _overwhelming, _the things that did happen. Not only that, but I couldn't get over the fact that the thing I'd most desprately wanted to be true, was not. Yuugi and I had only been friends, and that seemed like it was all we'd ever be.

"You look deep in thought." Remarked Kaiba's voice from behind me, his breath causing goosebumps to stand on my neck. I spun around to face him, and even with how close I'd thought he'd been, he still managed to be closer than I expected. I gulped, knowing that whatever he had to say would be very serious.

"I was just told everything, so yes I'm deep in thought." I growled, looking down.

"The problem is that you weren't told everything."

"How the hell would you know?" I snarled, bristling. Yuugi wouldn't lie to me, or even omit the truth, unless it was something that I really and truly didn't want to or need to know.

"Because I know Yuugi's personality." He said, and then after a moment's pause, added, "And I might have been listening in on the explanation he gave you."

"Well then what was I supposedly 'not told'?" I asked. Maybe Yuugi had just forgotten something? Seto was a dick, but now that I'd calmed down, I couldn't rationally see him lying to my randomly either.

"Listen, typically I'd _love_ to watch both of you squirm until one of you finally gave up and admitted everything, but I feel too much like you deserve to know." He said pointedly, sighing afterwards.

"Then get on with it." I said pointedly.

"I'd like you to know about you and Yuugi." He said, and my interest immediately spiked. "You two were a _bit_ more than friends." He said. I didn't really know how to react. What if he was just playing with my emotions? What if this was some elaborate setup to make me humiliate myself?

"Prove it." I said, standing up straighter.

"I thought you might say that." He said distastefully. I watched as he reached behind his back and brought out a small,m leather book. I reached out and took it in my hands slowly, studdying the patterned surface. "It's Yuugi's poetry book."

My eyes snapped up to meet his and I almost dropped the book right then and there. There was no way I should do this, no way I could invade his privacy like this. Curiosity got the better of me though, and I kept in grasped in my hands.

"You'll see. Turn to the pages I have marked, and you'll find out exactly how much little Yuugi likes you." He said, turning and walking briskly away. My fingers itched for me to reach out and stop him, but the feelings that were brewing inside me like a thunder storm made me stop.

I was arguing with myself. Do I do it and invade his privacy, or put it straight into his bag and forget that this ever happened? Could I let my curiosity tear me apart for the rest of my life?

I reminded myself that this might be my last chance to find out the truth.

I walked into my room, closing the door quietly behind me. I set the poetry book on the night stand and started to pack up my clothes.

With every item I put in the bag, the journal seemed to be taunting me with the possibilities of what was on it's pages.

_What if this is your only chance?_ It seemed to whisper, _What if he loves you?_

I sighed in frustration and picked back up the book, setting my now packed bag on the edge of my bed.

"You look harmless enough." I said out loud, passing it back and forth between my hands.

The cover was a dark brown leather-type material, and I stroked down it slowly, enjoying the soft feel.

What could go wrong? I'd only look at the pages that he'd marked. Those would be the ones that applied strictly to me. It's not like I'd really be invading his privacy too much...

I turned to look at the side of the notebook. There were only three pages marked. Three pages that would tell me anything and everything I'd been wandering, just three little pages...

My hands shook as I slid off the strap binding the pages together. It felt almost like I was opening a vault, something that I had to be careful about. I grabbed the tab that Kaiba had made, the very first one. It was about halfway through the book, while the other two were a little farther away.

I hesitated, the tab still grasped between my fingers. It still felt wrong to invade his privacy, even if the poem was about me. What if he were to find out?

I took a deep breath and flipped the book open, flinching slightly. I digested the words on the pages quickly, as if for fear of them disappearing.

_I'm in Love,_

_With someone I can't feel._

_I don't know their heart,_

_I can't tell what's real._

_I only Hope,_

_They love me, to,_

_Because if not,_

_I don't know what I'll do._

_I was afraid at first,_

_he didn't seem real,_

_but now he's my love,_

_I've changed how I feel. _

I stared at the page in shock. Was this...was this entry... about _me?_ Hope rose in my heart. What if he returned my affections? 'With someone I can't feel', how could that be anybody else? I shook my head in wonder and eagerly turned to the next tab, flipping it open with much less hesitation then I had with the first one.

_He really feels the same,_

_This is a great gain,_

_He truly feels the same,_

_The end of my rain,_

_He said he feels the same,_

_he's said he loves me back,_

_I know he feels the same,_

_And we'll never go back,_

_He must feel the same, _

_And I'm done with the pain,_

_Because he feels the same._

My heart skipped a beat. How could this be? If this was all true, he loved me back. I would get everything that I'd wanted and more.

Him.

I flipped the final tab, praying that this would give me some undeniable proof. I wouldn't have the strength to act on anything unless that was the case.

_This has shattered me,_

_Oh so completely, _

_Why did he leave me,_

_Why can't he remember,_

_Now that he can _feel_ me?_

_I have glimmers of hope, _

_That flow like a stream,_

_But even with that hope,_

_I could never quite believe._

_This is all wrong!_

_He is here,_

_Yet_

_He's_

_Still_

_Gone._

I dropped the notebook. There was no way he could be talking about anyone else but me. He loved me back. He really and truly loved me back!

I got up and walked into his bedroom, putting his poetry book back in his bag. I knew what I had to do, and me nerves were suddenly on edge.

I walked upstairs and saw that Kaiba and Yuugi's grandfather were both packing the car and I gave a sigh of relief. Some privacy for this would probably be nice for both Yuugi and I.

I walked to the balcony doors, grabbing the handle. I knew by intuition that he'd be there. How was I _doing_ this? My knees were shaking hard, and my breath caught in my throat. I took a moment to calm myself down. Yuugi was out there, looking at the soon to be setting sun. Looking very attractive in an all-leather outfit, might I add. I was about to get everything I had ever dreamed of.

I opened the door.

Yuugi's POV

I turned around when I heard the door open behind me. It was Yami, so I turned and smiled a little before diverting my attention back to the sun. I knew that he had to have had a hard time digesting everything, so I decided that it would probably be best not to speak.

He came over and sat down on the bench, and it bounced lightly, registering his body weight and almost seeming like it was adjusting for it. It took me a moment to realize that our legs were touching, and I tried not to melt at the warmth, reminding myself that he might catch on to my little...er,... attraction.

After a few moments of silence, he turned to me.

"There was something you left out." He said.

"What?" I asked, scanning my mind. I told him nearly everything; there wasn't much I could have left out...

"You told me a lot, but not everything." He said, reaching over me with the hand opposite the side that I was on, sufficiently caging me in. I gulped, feeling his body heat mixing with mine.

"W-what did I leave out?" I asked, trying to reisist the overwhelming sensations that seemed to engulf me. I mean, he was just being friendly! Really, _really_ friendly!

He reached up with the hand that wasn't entrapping me and guided a finger along my jaw slowly, guiding my face up so that I was looking into his eyes. I couldn't contain the shiver that ripped through me now, even if I'd wanted to.

"Us." He purred, closing some of the distance between us slowly. Hope rose in my chest as his lips hovered so close to mine. I really couln't help myself at that point. I reached up and grabbed his shirt, yanking him the last half an inch further.

I felt his jump as our lips touched for the first time, and our connection went through me like electric. I kissed hungrily, like a starving man would eat. I'd been waiting so long for this, for him. My entire body was on fire from the passion and heat of our first kiss, and he kissed back just as enthusiastically. I reached up and tangled my fingers in his hair, using the leverage to pull him closer.

Finally breathless, I reluctantly parted our lips to breathe. I was panting heavily at this point. One look back to him, though, and I couldn't help myself from kissing him again. The second kiss held just as much fire as the first, and I shivered and shuddered against him, trembling from just how _good_ it felt to be with him.

He had to break off the kiss this time, and I watched as he panted. There was just something so satisfying about knowing that he had been worked up like this over me.

There was a knock on the glass door from inside and I looked over to see thta Kaiba was smirking. Heat rose in my face as he opened the door a touch, and I jumped off the bench conpletely, feeling cold now that Yami's body heat had been left behind.

"We have to go, you two should grab your things." He said. After a moment's hesitation, I began to quickly walk forward with the intentions of doing just that. Yami reached out and he grabbed my hand in his. I could feel the smile on my face brighten as we walked to our respective rooms, letting our fingers slowly side out of each other's grasps. I grabbed my own things quickly and came back out as soon as was physically possible, seeing him standing outside of his room, too.

We made eye contact, and neither of us could help ourselves. He walked over slowly and his lips were on mine, causing electric to shoot through my veins and making me woozy in a way that nothing else could. I took a small step forward to bring us even closer, making a contented sound in the back of my throat. I felt my bags slowly slipping along with my concentration, and heard the soft thud when they hit the floor.

He broke off the deep kiss and started giving me repeated smaller kisses, making me smile broadly. I giggled inbetween them, thinking about grandpa and Kaiba being forced to wait on us in the car.

"We'll have the entire fourteen hour plane ride, they're waiting on us!" I managed. His arms were suddenly around me again, and my train of thought flew straight out the window.

"Not. Long. Enough." He growled playfully, pressing our lips together heatedly again. I smiled and shivered, reaching up to tangle my fingers through his wild hair again. It would probably be in awful condition by the end of this flight.

Suddenly, a throat was cleared behind us, and Kaiba was there, looking a mixture of amused and just flat-out annoyed. Yami reluctantly let me slip from his arms and we picked up outr bags again, following Kaiba up the stairs, (which seam a LOT heavier when you're carrying luggage) and out to the car where grandpa was waiting.

"I love you." Yami mumbled, leaning down to give me a nice, chaste kiss. It couldn't go on too long since my grandfather and Kaiba were both in the front seat at the moment and could be looking back at any time to see what was taking so long, but it held all the fire and passion as the other ones.

"I love you, too." I whispered against his lips. He walked around the car and opened up the door for me, helping me up.

The gigantic, collasal titan of a car was one thing I wasn't going to miss.

I couldn't help but still be happy despite leaving this place. I'd gotten the love of my life, his kiss was everything I'd imagined it would be and more, and...

I had a feeling that the plane ride was going to be very, _very _fun.


End file.
